Thursday, April 15, 2010

Earth day will be celebrated on April 22nd. It is a great time to make your children aware of the plants and trees around them as well as other natural wonders. Jessica Iclisoythe creator of the natural children's hair and skincare line, California Baby, has a fun project for you to do with your children in honor of Earth Day, plant a bean teepee.

This fun and simple project is a great way to introduce gardening techniques to your children and will help give them an appreciation for what it takes to grow vegetables and to care for a garden. Pole beans are great for this project as they grow fast and children can see the results of their efforts in a short amount of time. Once the plants grow high enough the teepee can serve as a fun play place for your children. You can further instill the wonders of the earth by having your children decorate their teepee with flowers and other natural elements.

Before beginning make sure the soil temperature is around 65 degrees and that you are placing the teepee in a sunny area.

Supplies needed:

-Three pots (approx 15 gallon in size)

-Organic potting soil mix

-Three six-foot-long bamboo poles or garden stakes

-Biodegradable, natural-fiber twine

-One packet of pole beans

Getting Started:

Begin by spacing the three pots two feet apart in a triangle shape. Place a pole in each pot, tying the tops of the three poles together and filling them with rich, organic gardening soil.

Planting How-To:

Have your child push the seeds with their fingers about 1.5 inches deep into the soil, spacing the seeds every two to three inches around each pole.

Feeding & Watering:

Since container plants can’t pull their nutrients from the ground, they must be fed throughout the season. Apply an organic liquid fertilizer every three weeks or so and be sure to keep your beans watered.

Harvest Often:

Pick the beans as soon as they reach a desired size, as the beans will be tender and tasty when eaten straight from the vine.

Clean Up:

After planting and harvesting the beans, make sure your kids stay clean and germ-free with the California Baby

Sunday, April 11, 2010

LeapFrog has always been known for their top rated, child and parent loved, educational toys. The company has enjoyed great success and August 2009 the "Let's Go to School" DVD held the number one spot in the children's non-theatrical category. To follow up, LeapFrog has partnered with Lionsgate Home Entertainment to help teach beginning math skills to preschoolers. On February 23, 2010 LeapFrog: Math Adventure to the Moon was released.

Twins, Tad and Lily must complete a school assignment which involves finding a collection of things. They decide moon rocks are perfect and take an adventure on a rocket ship in quest of finding them. On their trip they learn math is everywhere on earth and even in outer space. Tad and Lily use their math skills which include counting, sorting, addition, subtraction and recognizing patterns as they search for moon rocks, make new friends and return back to earth.

This DVD is great entertainment for any child. They will have fun on Tad and Lily's adventure and at the same time will be learning early math skills that help enhance their educational experience. What better form of entertainment for any little one than entertainment that is also educational.

Along with the story there are bonus features, four sing along songs, a sorting game and the Alphabet Song from Let's Go to School.

LeapFrog: Math Adventures to the Moon retails for $14.98 and is recommended for ages 3-6 years.